The artsdepot is a multi-purpose cultural centre located in North Finchley, in the London borough of Barnet

London Borough of Barnet

The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...

. It was officially opened on 23 October 2004 for the enjoyment and development of the arts in North London

North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

.

Activities

The venue comprises two main theatre spaces, The Pentland Theatre with 395 seats and a Studio Theatre with 158 seats. The building also contains dance and drama studios, a gallery space and a cafe. The programme of performances ranges from theatre, to live music, comedy, dance, visual art, spoken word and children's events.

artsdepot also runs a programme of an educational courses for children and adults. Outreach programmes also include working with local schools, artistic companies, other venues, and festivals.

History

The artsdepot was initially conceived in 1996 at the Barnet 2000 conference, which addressed what new and improved services the borough’s residents would like to see in Barnet at the new Millennium . What emerged from Barnet 2000 was a need for more professional arts facilities to supplement the facilities at the existing Bull Arts Centre in High Barnet, which was at that time the only professional, if small, arts centre in the borough.

Barnet Council officers worked on the feasibility of using the Tally Ho site and brought together partners including Old Bull Arts Centre, Barnet College and Community Focus. After a capital lottery bid failed, The London Borough of Barnet sought a commercial developer to work with. They also contracted ACT theatre consultants to design the theatre spaces. The developers contracted architects Ruddle Wilkinson. The design was a result of close working with the main partners and the artistic vision was developed largely by The Bull Arts Centre’s director, Alison Duthie. The developers Taylor Woodrow then developed plans for the Tally Ho regeneration in which artsdepot is located. The people of North London gained a state-of-the-art arts centre with most of the construction costs coming from the commercial development. The site on which artsdepot was built had been empty, apart from a weekly market that was relocated to the nearby Lodge Lane car park, for over 20 years since the Gaumont cinema closed down in 1980 (and later demolished in 1987) .

In December 2001, the project was officially launched with the name "artsdepot" by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell

Tessa Jowell

Tessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...

, when the building works began.

The venue was opened to the public for the first time on Saturday 23 October 2004 receiving over 2,500 visitors for its Community Open Day. The building was officially opened on 26 November 2004 by HRH The Earl of Wessex

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...

.

Artists that have exhibited in the Gallery space include Mark Maxwell

Mark Maxwell

Mark Maxwell is a British artist and designer. He works in various media including painting, video and installation.-Life and work:Maxwell was born in Withington, Manchester in 1966 and he studied art and design at Salford College and later Suffolk College...

 in October 2006.

In February 2010, The Green Party

Green Party of England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...

 held their spring party conference

Party conference

The terms party conference , political convention , and party congress usually refer to a general meeting of a political party. The conference is attended by certain delegates who represent the party membership...

at artsdepot.

External links

• Official Website: artsdepot
• VisitLondon - entry on artsdepot at VisitLondon